【问】 This airplane flies two times faster than that one.

这架飞机的飞行速度比那一架快一倍。(《翻译通讯》1982年第5期)

上面的英文句子是否正确?

【答】 按照英语惯用法，当n times more ... than中的n=2时，一般采用twice as many ... as或twice as much…as的格式，而不采用two times more…than或twice more…than的格式。例如：

1. The data in Table 2，taken with exactly the same arrangement as before but with theforce doubled，shows that the velocity increases twice as fast as before. Instead of Δv/Δt

＝ 14cm/sec² we obtain Δv/Δt=28cm/sec².

用与前次实验完全相同的装置但用二倍的力，我们得出了表2中的数据，它们表明速度的增快是前次的二倍。我们得到Δv/Δt=28厘米/秒²，而不是ΔV/Δt=14厘米/秒²。

2. They want at least to double their salaries. (=‘twice as much as they now earn’ )

他们要求把他们的工资增加一倍。